Algonquin College launches Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centred Design

Posted on Tuesday, April 23rd, 2019

OTTAWA – Algonquin College is launching a new, innovative program to train the problem solvers of tomorrow.

The Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centred Design program, launching in Fall 2019, will prepare students for a career in design research and strategy. In this one-year Graduate Certificate students will examine the intersection of research, technology, business and design to develop strategic direction for products and services.

“Students will tackle complex social, technological and economic problems through unique experiences inside and outside the classroom,” said Cheryl Jensen, Algonquin College’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Programs like this one would not be possible without our dynamic partners in the community who help us create hands-on learning opportunities.”

Once accepted to the program, students will have the opportunity to apply for a paid internship with an industry partner for the duration of their studies. In this stream the skills and knowledge acquired in the classroom will be directly tied to professional experience.

“Shopify is excited to be participating in Algonquin’s Interdisciplinary Studies in Human-Centered Design program,” said Lynsey Thornton, Vice President of UX at Shopify. “Students who are selected to join Shopify as interns will be strategically placed on project teams to achieve specific learning outcomes. This means that students are getting hands-on, industry experience that complements academic programming.”

This graduate certificate will be of interest to students looking to pursue a career in a wide range of human-centred disciplines, such as user experience design (UX), customer experience design (CX), interaction design (IxD), information architecture (IA), and content strategy.

“Human-centred design is a problem-solving toolkit,” said program coordinator Jed Looker. “Our program will build on the academic and professional background of each student by providing them an approach to solving problems that can be applied to any industry or project—from developing product design strategy in high-tech to modelling services in government.”

In addition to industry internships, the program offers a four-month co-op work term at the end of the winter semester. For more details, visit algonquincollege.com/human-centred

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For more information:
Ruth Dunley, Communications Manager
Algonquin College
Office: 613-727-4723 ext. 6452
Mobile: 613-406-0970
dunleyr@algonquincollege.com

Chris Lackner, Communications Officer

Algonquin College

Office: 613-727-4723 ext. 2091


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